Pokémon Infinite Sky
by Mareol
Summary: Soraya came back to Hoenn after another course in the Sky Battle Center in Kalos. Now She doesn't know where to go next. But she soon will go to an adventure beyond the skies.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: first four chapter edited.**

 **Chapter 1: Taking Flight.**

That morning Chimecho entered Soraya's room. Both the girl and the Emolga were sleeping. The flying squirrel had its own place in a mini hammock hung on the roof. Chimecho produced the sound of a Healing Bell and woke them up little by little. Soraya rubbed her eyes as she straightened. Emolga jumped out of her hammock and landed on her shoulder. She gave her trainer a good morning with a scrub of cheeks. Then Soraya rubbed the head of Chimecho and thanked him. She ran the curtains, letting the sun illuminate the room. The air was cold because of the rainy season.

Soraya took a thermos filled with water from her bedside table and drank its contents. She turned on her stereo at a moderate volume and began stretching, accompanied by the pair of Pokémon. A few minutes later they heard Soraya's mother calling them. They went to the kitchen where Adriana served the dishes and Roberto read the news on his Tablet. His Castform rested on his shoulder. When he saw his daughter he got up and gave her a hug and a kiss on the top of her head. The family sat down. They enjoyed pancakes made with aromatic mushrooms accompanied by honey from Combee. While the Pokémon ate on the ground in plates with their names written.

"Have you thought what you're going to do after the festival?" Roberto asked.

Soraya was silent for a moment and thought again. It had been some time since she returned from Kalos, specifically from the Flying Academy, and was planning to start a new trip. The problem was that she had not decided it. But it did not really matter where to go.

"I'll tell you later" she said finally "Although I want to leave until then. May l?"

Her parents smiled at her and gave her permission. Roberto again gave her a hug and a kiss to her mother before leaving to work with his Castform. Soraya went back to her room, pulled the curtains and took off her pajamas. She opened the closet and first put on a sky-blue-one-piece swimsuit and then her most prized possessions; An Emolga-motif flying suit. She did not consider herself a Poke Maniac, but that suit was so adorable that she could not help but buy it. Like every flying suit, the silhouette of her body was very tight. Despite being 16 years old she seemed to still have 10. Emolga only wore black Safety Goggles. As soon as the curtains opened, Soraya leapt out the window next to her Pokémon. The two extended their arms unfolding the membranes. They planned among the trees of Fortree city. The people who peered through the windows of their houses greeted them as they passed. She left the city behind and reached the territory of Route 120. Emolga took position in front of her.

"Now Emolga!" She said to her companion.

A wind surrounded both of them and propelled them. They began their ascent. In a short time they reached a height of several hundred meters. When the Tailwind effect ended they continued their advance in the descent. They diverted to the east and flew over the safari zone. As far as she knew that was not a crime. They touched the ground later on route 121. On the road was a naturist shop of rustic appearance. The manager was an old man of short stature and bald. Behind the counter, behind him, were shelves full of bottles containing his medicines.

"Good morning, Soraya" the shopkeeper said.

"Good morning" she replied "We'll have the usual, please."

The grocer took a jar from the shelves and mixed it with other ingredients in a blender. Soraya remembered that time that he showed her the Shuckle kept in the store. The ability to ferment of these Pokémon was the key to the preparation of the medicines. The old man gave each one a glass filled with a purple liquid. They drank it and within seconds they were full of energy.

"My little ones miss you. I'd like you to visit them when you can" said the old man.

Soraya giggled.

"The last time I thought they wanted to tickle me" she said. For some reason the Shuckle became very fond of her immediately. Emolga grimaced in disgust. Unlike her trainer she did not like those Pokémon "I would love to come back to help you before I travel."

"Are you going on a trip? Where?"

"I have not decided yet. I plan to stay at least until the feather festival. Now I'm just flying around trying to think where it would be best to go. I would prefer a region with many mountains."

"Oh, nothing more than to think that you fly like a feather in the wind my poor heart shrinks."

Soraya was distressed by the old man. It was like a grandfather to her and surely he saw her as a granddaughter. New customers arrived at the store and also a delivery truck stopped at the entrance.

"Thank you for the drink" Soraya paid "I'll help you with your Shuckle before I travel, I promise. And feel welcome to attend the festival."

She kissed his cheek and left the store with Emolga. They stretched briefly and took off again. They flew south on Route 122. They overflew Mt. Pyre. As usual it was surrounded by haze. The girl paid her respects in silence for the Pokémon that were buried there and went on her way. At the boundaries of Route 123 she encountered a rainy climate. The drops struck against the lenses of the safety goggles of both. They did not slow down for that. Once in open sea they flew next to a flock of Wingull and Pelipper. Down in the sea a group of Wailmer and Wailord snorted water through their holes.

They ended up getting to Pacifidlog village. There she left Emolga in the Pokémon center. During the review Soraya went swimming among the floating logs that formed the tracks of the place. Swimming was not in the middle of her forts, but she did it to cool off. She took off the flying suit and jumped into the water. The mayor's male Jellicent came over to play. He was very attentive and careful with everyone. Nurse Joy soon returned to Emolga; She was in perfect health. They bought a lunch in the cafeteria and rested for a couple of hours.

From that town they went directly to the Sootopolis City. They passed at a safe distance from the Sky Pillar. That was a restricted area. The tower rose so high that its summit was lost in the clouds. Having already passed, they reached that gigantic crater of white rock. It was the most picturesque city in the whole region and Soraya never tired of admiring it from the heights. Then they passed through the sea area of routes 126, 127 and 128 and finally reached Ever Grande City. Ironic name considering that it was the smallest of Hoenn. The only great thing was its importance. It was the place of lodging for the trainers who looked for to gain the title of champion. Although they also accepted any trainer who did not have the eight medals as long as they did not try to cross Victoria Road.

They decided to land on the edge of that high ground. The day had already passed and the fatigue was winning over to the Sky trainer. Soraya sat on the edge watching the sunset quietly. Emolga settled into her lap. They were silent, little by little the sun was descending until disappearing completely behind the line of the horizon. What did it matter to where she went if all that she wanted was to contemplate scenarios like these?

The day before the festival Soraya went back to Fortree City. But she saw something strange. Near the city was a group of black clouds that emitted lightning. That dark tonality did not seem natural, nor did the fact that they were so low and so concentrated. She decided to surround them to avoid any mishap. It was then that she noticed something approaching those clouds. It was a Castform. Soraya worried about the little Pokémon, something told her that not even its ability to resist strong climates could protect him. Her fears were well founded. From the cloud appeared a huge golden ring. In the middle was a multicolored light. The Castform tried to get away, but it seemed to be drawn.

"We have to help him!" Cried Soraya.

Emolga obeyed and changed the direction of her Tailwind as the urgency of helping him increased. ¡That was the Pokémon of Soraya's father! Emolga flew by her side and Soraya caught him in mid-air. Immediately they felt the effects of that force of attraction. Soraya tried to plan with one arm while holding Castform, but even the wind did not work and the three were sucked by the ring.


	2. Legendary

**Chapter 2: Legendary.**

Everything around her became light and she couldn't tell between up and down. Fearful, she held Castform tightly in her arms. Ironically the Pokémon that she wanted to save helped her. The Weather Pokémon made use of its natural ability to float and began to resist the inertia of the movement until it could stop it. Soraya was dizzy. A feeling she did not feel since her days as a rookie sky trainer. She was unconsciously clinging to Castform. Everything was blurry and bright. Her breathing was shallow. Emolga came flying worried and clung to her trainer's shoulder. Then Soraya realized that they were not falling nor in the middle of a storm. They were floating in a place that only looked like multicolored light. She could not distinguish anything else.

"Are we dead?!" She shrieked, frightened.

Her Emolga wanted to comfort her by rubbing her cheek against hers, though the goggles of both of them hindered it. Soraya remembered perfectly that there was a group of strange clouds above her city and then a golden ring that appeared out of nowhere sucked them. None of that seemed logical. She looked all around her. There was nothing but light until she suddenly saw something moving erratically. It was that strange ring. The hoop suddenly stopped horizontally and something came out of it. It was a humanoid-looking creature. Its skin was light blue with dark blue spots. It had white hair and the bottom of its body was covered by what looked like a cloud. Along a bow that came from behind and had black spheres with spikes. Soraya was impressed by the appearance of a Pokémon she had only seen in illustrations.

Thundurus noticed the presence of the girl and the two Pokémon. They feared that hostile look of the legendary Pokémon. He roared, raising his hands in the air. These were covered by electricity. Then he lowered his arms towards her and released a powerful electric attack. Emolga jumped from Soraya's shoulder and received the Thunder attack. Surprisingly all the electricity was absorbed totality by the small Pokémon. Thundurus gasped. Emolga watched him with a frown. Her cheeks were glowing and sizzling. It was fortunate at that moment to have the ability of Motor Drive. But there was no time to be impressed, they had to escape from there.

"Tailwind!" ordered the sky trainer.

The wind invoked by the flying squirrel allowed her to recover the balance. Soraya also had experience in the antigravity chamber of Mosdeep city, but flying in zero gravity would be a first. Castform had no choice but to hold one of the fake Emolga ears of her suit with his teeth. They flew away in the opposite direction to Thundurus, yet he did not remain still. He roared again and began to chase after her. Soraya had no place to hide in the middle of that empty space. She could feel the legendary Pokémon getting close. She pressed her arms to her body for a moment to turn on its axis. Being face up, she could see him. Her heart almost stopped seeing Thundurus was about to reach them. The legendary pokemon raised his fist, which shone with a white light.

"Up!"

Emolga caught the order and changed the direction of the wind so that they both would ascend. Soraya barely avoided the Hammer arm. Thundurus growled in anger and continued with the chase. His speed was slightly higher than theirs. If Emolga had not received the boost in speed from the electric attack they would have already being caught. Thundurus clasped his hands and rings of dark energy formed between his fingers.

"Spiral!"

The flying squirrel maneuvered again according to the order. The two whirled in the air and in the middle of the spiral tray they drew passed a powerful Dark Pulse attack. All that power was overwhelming. Soraya continued to give Emolga orders in the code of the acrobatics they had practiced at the Sky Battle Center. She dodged all the hits by a hair's breadth, but the problem was the moment between the end of one Tailwind and the beginning of the next one. Soraya tried to take distance whenever she could. Nevertheless the legendary Pokémon did not stop to persist. What she feared happened. The wind ceased. All she hoped was that the momentum was enough to give Emolga time. She wished with all her might. Thundurus attacked again with Hammer Arm. Soraya was turning her back on him, but she could feel it right behind her. It was as if time slowed down. For an instant she thought it was the end.

She was about to confirm if you really see your life pass before your eyes before dying when a ray of violet light struck Thundurus on the side. In the next instant Soraya found herself next to Emolga in the arms of a creature that flew even faster. She looked up to try to identify it. It was then that another golden hoop materialized. When they crossed it they appeared flying over the open sea. The creature that saved them loosened their grip, but a bluish aura surrounded them and held them in midair. Soraya's eyes widened as she came face to face with a Latios. Emolga and Castform were very exhausted and relieved. Although the Weather Pokémon was extremely dizzy. Soraya was hypnotized by those beautiful ruby eyes. The Eon Pokémon went beneath her and the two Pokémon. He stopped exercising his Psychic and let them fell on him. The feeling of gravity made her feel like plumb. Thundurus was nowhere to be seeing. She didn't know how she managed to maneuver so successfully under such circumstances. It wasn't anything short of a miracle. Soraya clung to Latios's neck as he flew over the water. In the distance they saw the coast. They recognized that it was the North Sea of Hoenn. After reaching the mainland, Emolga and Castform jumped to the ground and the Latios again used his psychic powers to put Soraya on the ground. She staggered at the lack of strength. The Pokémon eon held her gently and helped her to sit down.

"Thank you" she said, sobbing.

Latios nodded. Soraya was feeling more and more tired. Her vision grew fainter until it went completely dark.


	3. Festival

**Chapter 3: Festival.**

Her muscles and joints ached so badly. Soraya was moving beneath her sheets in a state between asleep and awake. She instinctively sought the most comfortable position possible to not suffer so much from ailments. She recognized Emolga in her arms and tenderly pressed her companion to her chest. She was about to fall asleep when Thundurus's frightening face leaped out of her memory. Soraya jumped up onto the bed and looked around with wide eyes. It took her a moment to realize she was back in her room. She even had her pajamas on. Emolga twisted in her arms. As she jerked from her grip she climbed up to her shoulder where she could rub her cheek against hers as she always did to show affection or concern. Soraya caressed her head.

"Emolga ... were we running away from a dangerous Pokémon?"

The flying squirrel shrieked and clung to Soraya's neck. It was a confirmation that what she remembered wasn't a bad dream. And if so ... How did she get home? She did not remember that. She put on her slippers and left the room.

"Mom? Dad?" She called them. They were not in their room nor in the living room.

She wanted to go to the kitchen, but stopped short in the dining room when she noticed that someone was sitting at the table eating. It was a boy of about 17 or 19 years. His hair was white and he was wearing a blue shirt with a white jean and gray tennis shoes. Soraya was astonished seeing directly in his red ruby eyes. He stared back at her, still chewing.

"Soraya!" Her mother's voice broke the silence. She approached her and gave her daughter a big hug. The girl still did not know how to react.

"Mom ..." She loosened the hug. Soraya saw concern reflected in her mother's eyes. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Soraya shook her head "This young man brought you yesterday. He said that you fainted after landing."

The boy left the silverware on the table and approached both. Soraya saw him again with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you now" he said "You can call me Neo. Your mother was very kind to let me spend the night here. After picking you up your Emolga and the Castform showed me the way to your house. Luckily you were only tired."

Soraya still did not say anything to him. Her mother stroked her short black hair.

"Thank you" she said finally and remembered that she was still in her pajamas "Excuse me, I'll be right back."

She ran back to her room. Took a shower quickly and got dressed with the first thing she grabbed. She returned as soon as he could and found her mother talking on the video phone of the house. She was talking to her father.

"Soraya! I'm glad you're awake" Roberto sighed on the other side of the line.

"Dad, what happened here yesterday? There were some very ... odd clouds over the city" She wanted to know.

"So you really flew close to that storm" He looked a little annoyed.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I saw Castform. He looked scared and..."

For some reason she hesitated to tell them about Thundurus and it sounded silly to say that she was worried about a Pokémon made to endure strong climates. Unconsciously she turned to see Neo sitting on a couch in the living room.

"Well, we're not sure what happened" her father continued "A storm appeared out of nowhere over the city. I immediately sent Castform to record the meteorological data, but we lost the signal of his necklace. Then I found out he was with you at home and you were unconscious."

"And what did they record?" She insisted, keeping the conversation away from the subject of her fainting. Her father hesitated a moment before answering.

"When we recovered the necklace the readings were completely erratic. It didn't only happen in Fortree but in several places in Hoenn. We keep trying to figure out what was all that phenomenon."

Again Soraya looked back at Neo waiting patiently. He was not uncomfortable or anything of the sort. Like he had all the time in the world.

* * *

 _[Soundtrack recommended]_

 _[Chrono Trigger - Millenial Fair Guard]_

Like every year on that date, the feather festival was held in Fortree. Along the main road, between the trees, were the sales stands and attractions. The place always became an amusement park during the celebration. There were new acquisitions by the managers that year. Included a roller coaster. After confessing to her parents about Thundurus they let her attend the celebration. Her father decided to stay in the weather institute to devise a security protocol and research based on what his daughter told him. Although she still kept secret certain details of the incident. Her mother had her own food stall to manage.

Soraya was walking with Emolga on her shoulder. The squirrel ate a crepe of strawberries, chocolate and whipped cream while her trainer enjoyed a Swirlix-shaped cotton candy. But her companion grimaced at the "Pokémon" of food.

"Eh… Neo" She spoke doubtfully.

"Yes?"

"Are you really ... are you the Latios that saved us?"

The young man chuckled and responded while poking Emolga's cheek.

"Your little friend did not tell you?"

Emolga pushed his hand away, annoyed. Soraya was surprised. It was really true that the Latios and Latias could acquire human form. They continued their walk. The city was full of people; Families from nearby cities and tourists interested in the celebration. Children's voices could be heard everywhere, asking their parents to buy food or to let them ride an attraction. Since the day Soraya reached the minimum height to be able to wear a flying suit those things stopped being so amusing. She looked up and caught sight of one of the main attractions. Gym leader Winona was giving a Child a ride in her Skarmory.

"Do you see them? She's my teacher" Soraya told Neo while pointing up. "She taught me a lot about flying type Pokémon."

"Does she also wear those strange clothes to fly?" Neo Asked.

"It's called a flying suit, and no. She prefers to ride Pokémon even without a saddle. Winona thinks that in a direct contact during the flight the bonds tighten even more."

"You don't agree?"

"It's not that I disagree, but as much as I want to Emolga can't carry me" The two laughed. The flying squirrel snorted as if that offended her "Anyway, if I want one to ride I use another Pokémon but with a saddle a protective gear."

They went their way. Soraya insisted on buying food for her companion. Neo ate some roasted potatoes wrapped in foil and stuffed with sauces. Then Neo asked.

"Sometimes I see one or another competition that humans have invented, but I'm not so familiar with this kind. Are there other ways to compete flying by chance?"

"There are a lot! I've traveled in various regions participating in all competitions that I know about. There is the _PokéRinger_ in which you give your Pokémon orders from a balloon to place a ring on a hook before the others. There is also the _Sky Relay_ where you follow your Pokémon at full speed using a balloon with rockets and..."

Soraya realized the rhythm of her words at the sight of Neo's expression of awe. She was ashamed and felt her cheeks burning.

"You are amazing" He told the girl.

"I don't think I'm that incredible" her embarrassment increased. "There are many sky trainers better than me."

"I don't care about them. You had a very frightening experience and you still talk about flying with all that passion."

"Stop it!" Soraya did not have to look in a mirror to know that her face was bright red.

"That's why I want to offer you something. I really think you deserve it" Neo said firmly "If you want, I can take you to a place where you can spread your wings with complete freedom."


	4. A whole new world

**Chapter 4: A whole new world.**

There were different kind of products on the shelves. They were in cylindrical containers or spray bottles. All of them also had showy labels that said what they contained. It helped somewhat to increase the sales that they stop looking so homemade, although it took some time to convince the conservative side of the owner into that suggestion of change.

Soraya chose the basic products and put them inside her backpack. Then she approached the counter where she paid the old man. If it had been for him, the girl would always have taken everything she wanted for free. But she flatly refused. Already purchased her supplies she left the naturist shop. Outside, that legendary Pokémon was waiting in its human form. He looked toward the warehouse where the Shuckle were kept. Soraya could see that he had the same look when he saw the Swirlix cotton candy. He had also put on that face when he saw the Pokémon in Professor Birch's lab. She suspected that perhaps he was somewhat discontent with certain ways humans treated the Pokémon. Despite seeing them happy and comfortable the idea of keeping Pokémon in one place for so long did not please him. Emolga thought the same as her trainer. The flying squirrel ran on four legs and climbed up one leg of Neo. The legendary Pokémon came out of its reverie thanks the caress of the little one. Soraya approached him seeing his mood was better.

"I have everything, we can go now" She said smiling. Neo smiled back and nodded.

They moved away from the route to avoid being seen at the time Neo would return to its original form. As they walked, Soraya made a last minute mental check to make sure she had not forgotten anything. She already had the rest of her Pokémon, food, medicine, survival equipment and even new backpack and clothing. Her backpack had a Love Ball pattern and her new outfit consisted in a white T-shirt with a Pokeball print in the middle of the chest, jeans and pink tennis shoes. She believed that there wasn't anything left, but even if it were she would be ashamed to say it and delay more the trip.

When no one was around. Soraya climbed the back of the eon Pokémon. Emolga wanted to stay on the head of the Latios, between those ear-like things. Neo almost immediately took off and headed south. Soraya and Emolga tightened their grip. Although the fact that Neo kept a barrier around them when flying made much easier to withstand that speed. The landscape was completely familiar to Soraya. She kept quiet thinking about their destination. It looked completely suspicious when she told her parents that she would go with Neo to a place only he knew. But they gave their permission to the savior of their daughter to take her to a journey.

Neo pulled up more and more to the point of a parachuting height.

"Can you tell me now where we're going?" Soraya asked him again.

"I told you it would be a surprise" Neo replied and accelerated his ascent.

According to her experience, Soraya knew they had exceeded five thousand meters of height. That would have been definitely dangerous without the protection of the Latios. They were about to reach the clouds when she could see where they were heading to. Soraya winced and shrieked. They were approaching a historical heritage of the region.

"We can't go to the Sky Pillar!"

"It's okay, Rayquaza is not there right now" Neo replied.

What worried the girl more was being arrested. They said drones with cameras constantly patrolled the surroundings of that place. In worst case scenario, she would lose her trainer license. Fearful, she clung to Latios's neck even more with fear. More fear from the idea of getting into trouble with the law than falling. After passing a layer of clouds the whole scene changed. Some clouds were beneath them and the landscape of Hoenn was clearer. Only in her wildest dreams she imagined herself riding a Pokémon so high. When they arrived near the Sky Pillar Neo began to rise at a 90 degree angle. The eon Pokémon gave extra help bearing the weight of its companions with its psychic powers. The ascent continued. It was crazy! According to what the official information said the Sky Pillar exceeded fifteen thousand meters of height. It was still a mystery how something so ancient could continue to overcome modern engineering knowledge. Even so, Soraya put her worries aside and admired the sight that was getting more majestic. Her soul was moved. Emolga shared her feelings. The ascent time flew by and finally they reached the top. The whole pillar was triangle shaped. A platform with the same figure was at the top. It had triangular columns in two corners and in the third one there was an altar. Neo levitated slowly toward the center of the platform.

"Well ... This amazing!" said Soraya euphorically.

"The best is about to come" Neo said.

"What do you mean?"

"That this is just the place of passage."

Before she could ask anything else, a golden ring appeared on the altar. Neo flew without warning and went straight into the ring. Soraya screamed and closed her eyes instinctively while tightening her grip of the white fur. As much as she loved air competitions she did not want to go through another dangerous situation again so soon. Neo stopped. Fearful, she opened her eyes. The Sky Pillar was gone. All Soraya saw was clouds and the ocean ... she did not even see the region!

Neo sighed heavily.

"I need a break" he said.

He undid the barrier and let himself fall, surprising Soraya and Emolga. They were about to scream again but they fell on a spongy-elastic surface that make them bounced slightly ... It was a cloud.

"Just give me a break, okay?" Neo said to her "Getting here while keeping you two safe was harder than I thought."

Soraya was standing still like a statue without saying a word. Emolga full of curiosity stretched her paw to touch the cloud. After checking it she jumped and bounced while she laughed. Soraya saw her with her eyes wide open. That defied all logic.

"Where are we?" She wanted to know.

"In a different world" Neo replied.

"Different world?"

"That's what those rings do. Come on, feel this splendid cloud."

Emolga jumped and flew off to nearby clouds to bounce back. Soraya stepped down carefully. The cloud was fluffy like cotton and soft as silk. It was another experience that until that moment she only thought to live in dreams.


	5. First stop

**Author's note:** first of all, thank you for reading. Second, I made some silly mistakes in the past four chapters. Like mixing the words him and her, just to be clear Soraya is a 16-year-old girl. And I wrote that the height of the Sky Pillar was fifteen thousand kilometers, I meant meters. The first one would be outer space instead of "up in the sky" that is the whole idea in this story. And then I found out that in English you should use "…" for dialogue instead of -…- . Again, I'm doing my best. Sorry for the silly mistakes and thank you for reading.

 **Chapter 5: First stop.**

After a short break, Neo let his companions ride him again. Soraya had so many questions at that moment. The first one: Were they really in another world? That was what the legendary Pokémon claimed.

"You say this world is almost all ocean?" she asked.

"Exactly. Now I am heading to where there is land"

Soraya tried to put some logic into her situation. If that really was a completely different dimension perhaps it had its own laws, considering that from where she came there were no palpable clouds. In addition, they continued flying to a height similar to that of the Sky Pillar and the temperature was bearable and they could breathe normally without needing the protection of the Latios.

"I know what you're thinking" Neo told her "Unfortunately I don't have all the answers, but I think I can give you the necessary ones so that you can take care of yourself here. Oh look!"

Soraya and Emolga were surprised by the inadvertent drop. A pleasant sensation of emptiness inside took possession of them. They both always enjoyed a freefall after all. Then they saw enormous figures moving among the clouds, some of them were oval and the other were smaller circular ones. They did not believe their eyes when they realized that it was a horde of Wailord and Wailmer flying. The whales moved their fins and moved gracefully in the air. Emolga shrieked with excitement and jumped out of the Latios to ride on one of the giant Pokémon. Fortunately, their presence did not disturb them. They accompanied those Pokémon for a while until they descended and dived into the ocean.

The Latios again raised its protective barrier and accelerated reaching its maximum speed. The scenario around them did not change much in that course. A couple of hours later a gray spot appeared on the horizon. As they advanced, it got cleared. It turned out it was a mountain ... that was the closest word Soraya could think of to describe that. The gigantic clump of rock had a more or less cylindrical form and rose above sea level a couple of kilometers. At the top were numerous angular figures. For a moment the girl thought it would be something "natural" in that world, but she noticed movement between the spaces of those figures. They were people and Pokémon walking between buildings that seemed to be made of gray bricks. Latios circled the mountain and landed in a secluded area, practically at the edge of the cliff.

"There are people here?!" Soraya asked, getting off with Emolga.

"Yep" replied the Latios, taking on his human form, but on that occasion his clothing (of the same colors) seemed from a past age. "The humans arrived a long time ago and managed to accommodate their way of living"

Neo led Soraya to pass through a narrow alley between some houses. There were a lot of people and Pokémon walking on the street. Mostly were Delibird who carried the belongings of their owners. There were even children running and playing. Neo called her. Soraya followed him. The girl looked everywhere with extreme curiosity and fascination. Although she began to notice that she attracted glances. The reason was obvious; her clothes did not fit at all. Unsure and embarrassed, she moved closer to Neo. Later they stopped in front of one of the buildings. On top of the door there was a sign saying "Metallurgy, blacksmithing and jewelry". They entered.

You could feel the atmosphere of a business. On dozens of solid metal tables, people talked about products and prices. They could hear the sounds of hammering. The temperature was somewhat high in there and the air was laden with dirt. They walked to one of the shop windows where a very thin old man was polishing jewels with a blackened rag. He was wearing an overalls, obviously worn and dirty.

"Excuse me sir, we have something to sell." Neo pulled out a large pink pearl from who knows where and offered it to the old man who stared at her in awe.

With his shaking hands he took it. Then he put it under an enormous lens that hung on the table on a rod with mechanical articulation. He admired it for a few moments from different angles until he asked.

"How much do you want?"

"Just give me a fair price, please" Neo said in a tone between kind and firm.

The old man thought about it for a moment as he continued to see the orb through his lens. Finally he answered.

"I'll give you five thousand _Polds_ "

"Done. Thank you very much."

Soraya looked confused at Neo. They received from another worker a pile of silver coins. He kindly asked Soraya to put them in her backpack.

"Where are you from by the way?" The old man wanted to know.

"From far away" Neo hastened to answer and with the same haste they left the place.

Continuing with their tour, they went to another establishment. In that other one were multicolored fabric hanging from the ceiling and on display shelves were garments. Neo spoke to the manager and she brought them several folded clothes. Soraya looked at him questioningly. He encouraged her to take a look at them. The garments were of different colors and different embroidery, but all of them were the same. Short capes or more like cloaks. Soraya chose a dark blue one with wings embroidered with a sky-blue thread. After giving one of the coins to the saleswoman she gave them a few coppery ones as change.

"This will help you to fit in" Neo whispered as he helped her pull the cloak over her shoulders and tie the straps to adjust.

In the same way as the previous time, Neo hurried out of the store with Soraya and went to another establishment. This was also packed and active like the rest of the city. There were more tables than in the first establishment they visited, but they were not so thick. People ate, drank and others were playing some games. Luckily they found an empty one and took a seat.

"So…what did you think so far?" Neo asked.

"So far… I've been as frightened as surprised" Soraya replied a little irritated. Emolga imitated her trainer expression of dissatisfaction "All that mystery hasn't let me know how to act."

Neo chuckled. A woman approached them and he asked for two regular lunches.

"I'm sorry" He said after the waitress took the order "You're right. I've gone too far with the mystery. As you can see people were able to form their civilization here. It's not that different from yours. They have houses, business, money and things like that"

"Well…It surprise how they are able to live in such an isolated and arid place."

"Arid? Ah because there are no trees. Plants don't grow on land, but under water. Even from there they offer food to those who live on the surface. Also some of them convert the salt water into fresh water and deposit it in the fruits, hence they're called _water fruits_ or in short _drops_. With the help of some water Pokémon they can submerge and collect them."

"I see ..." Soraya nodded as if that explanation made sense.

"Plants are very valuable so there is no felling and therefore no wood. Humans have focused on using what they get from the earth itself. There are "islands" of different sizes. This is big enough for people to have ... how do you say it? When you buy and sell...

"Commerce?"

"Yeah! There are islands where people live and there are other islands that are only for... I'm sorry, I usually forget the words because I do not speak much of these subjects. How is it called to dig out useful rocks?"

"Mining?"

"Of course, that's it."

"Oh, well ... and why did you bring me here?"

"That's where I'm going. There are also competitions here. Unlike your world flight skills are primordial. The best riders can be venerated as if they were nobles."

Soraya was silent for a moment.

"Will they let me compete?" She asked doubtfully.

"Of course. If they ask where you're from we'll evade the subject or tell them you're from some island."

They stopped talking when one of the waitresses brought their order. It was a meal consisting of slices of a yellow fruit, green purée and a bowl of red soup. Its aromas were not something that Soraya and Emolga recognized. Neo did not hesitate and began to eat. They followed the example with a little hesitation, the flavors were equally unknown.

"Delicious, isn't it?" Neo asked.

"Yes, and a lot."

"Well, eat at your hearts content. I'll explain you everything I know and then ... We'll see where you could compete."


End file.
